Among the Best

Kohli’s Story of a Middle-class Delhi Boy Nurturing Dreams of Making It Big in Cricket to Becoming a Youth Icon Is an Unfinished Tale of Grit, Talent and the Burning Desire to Be Counted...

- Vijay Lokapally

THERE WAS turmoil in Delhi cricket. Some seniors were in the firing line of the state selectors as quite a few youngsters were waiting to break into the squad. There was discontent among the seniors. They felt their services to the team were being undermined, but the selectors insisted they had a job at hand—to give Delhi cricket a push in the right direction. The last Ranji Trophy title had come home in 1992, when Delhi dashed Tamil Nadu’s dreams in the final at the Ferozeshah Kotla. The pressure was on the seniors and the message was loud and clear—perform or make way for the youngsters.

Vijay Dahiya, a Test wicket keeper and a stalwart in the dressing room, was given a tough choice—announce retirement or face the axe. He chose to leave on his own terms, paving the way for Punit Bisht to assume the wicket keeper’s role. ‘It is always better to go out on a high. I don’t wish to block a youngster’s way and it is the best time to leave. I don’t want to be unfair to Punit. He must get the backing to settle into his job,’ Dahiya had said. Dahiya’s debut had come against Punjab in 1993-94. He had been a member of the North Zone teams, which won the Duleep and Deodhar Trophy in 1999-2000. He had played in two Tests and 19 ODI's.

This was not the best time for Virat to take the plunge into first-class cricket, but it was hardly his call. He had made enough waves to earn a place in the state senior team, and was keen to take the first step towards his ultimate goal of turning out in the India colours. Virat was over the moon when he was asked to report for the nets. It was in preparation for the Ranji Trophy season’s opening league match against Tamil Nadu at the Kotla. There was another debutant in that game—fast bowler Ishant—who was destined to play international cricket alongside Virat.